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Saturday, February 16, 2013

A Black Thai Affair

The other night, I had plans to meet my cousin for Thai food that fell through, but I have to admit, I was really looking forward to that steamed shrimp, veggies and brown rice. I know it sounds bland, but Thai sauces have so much flavor that the steamed dish takes on a whole new depth with just the slightest touch of sauce. So, instead of considering it a lost battle, I went to Trader Joe's (okay, confession: I was already going there anyway), and raided the vegetable section, came home, and got to work, and made a rather delicious, really healthy (under 200 calories!) dish that I thoroughly enjoyed. And, it was BEYOND simple. Here's a picture and what you'll need to replicate it.

To make this steamed shrimp, veggie and brown rice dish you will need:

To prepare, simply thaw your shrimp, cut your veggies and steam them with said shrimp. While that magic happens, prepare your brown rice according to package instructions, and in the blink of an eye, you've got a fresh, healthy dish... but it may be a little bland without sauce, so I guess it's only fitting I tell you what I did! ;)

My two favorite Thai sauces are massaman curry and the peanut sauce. The above picture features the massaman curry sauce, but I'll share the recipe for both!

First, the Massaman Curry Sauce is as simple as reconstituting a massaman curry paste with either water or coconut/flax/almond milk, and adding a little lime juice and optional Sriracha. Basically, it's a taste test depending upon how strong you want your flavor. The more water you add, the less pungent the flavor is, and since it's a paste, it packs a serious punch of flavor.

If you prefer the peanut sauce, you will need two parts PB2 powdered peanut butter to one part low sodium soy sauce. (For example, 2T PB2+ 1T soy sauce). Mix the two together (add enough water to the PB2 to get the desired thickness you prefer your sauce. And definitely reconstitute the peanut butter before you add the soy sauce), and there you have it! If you're feelin' frisky, you can even make a massaman curry peanut sauce by combining the two, though I can't vouch for how that would taste :P